1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to plant propagation methods using grafting and more particularly to a technique of providing scion viability using bark grafting of roots to a stool.
2. Description of Related ART
The following art defines the present state of this field:
Caudle et al., U.S. Plant 9,068 describes a new variety of apple tree of unknown parentage, bearing apples of exceptional shelf life and keeping quality, exhibiting distinctive fruit coloration and shape, a long stem, large leaves, and unused bore shoot and bud extension.
Jacob, U.S. Plant 11,233 describes Prunus pumila variety ‘Rhenus 2’ is a dwarfing rootstock that is compatible with Prunus varieties such as peach, nectarine, and apricot, producing dwarf trees with no significant reduction in fruit size, early yield, high yield efficiency, uniform fruit size, high frost hardiness, no suckering, and good soil adaptation.
Nixon, U.S. Pat. No. 1,594,548 describes the art of tree propagation which comprises grafting a scion having buds thereon on a root, encircling the scion just above the graft with a member adapted, in the normal expansion of a diameter of the scion during growth, to substantially constrict the same, and planting the grafted scion at such depth that the zone of constriction is substantially below the ground level with buds between the constriction and the round level, whereby, in the course of plant growth, the food supply to the grafted root will be cut down, while submerged tissue in the vicinity of the buds below the ground level will put out its own roots, thus producing a grafted tree having its own root system.
Boehm, U.S. Pat. No. 2,048,056 describes a method of hybridizing plants which consists in grafting a scion to a stock whereby there is produced in the vicinity of the line of union between the stock and the scion and area of growth wherein the protoplasm of the stock and the protoplasm of the scion are mixed and then preventing the growth of limbs from any other area than the influenced by the said mixture of protoplasm.
Stark, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 2,523,600 describes a method of propagating representative individual plant varieties which comprises the step of simultaneously grafting together a plurality of desired friuting varieties to form a graft unit and grafting such composite unit on a hardly sturdy stock and root system.
Addin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,041 describes healthy, vigorous pear tress that are produced from pear tree slips by treating the bottom section of the slips with an aqueous slurry of proteins and trace quantities of amino acids and then planting the slips directly into a plant growth medium. The resulting trees are usually resistant to pear tree diseases, sustain growth rates which compare favorably with grafted trees, and have significantly lower mortality rates in advanced stages of growth.
Brokaw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,866 describes a method of root stock propagation involving positioning a collar loosely about a root stock grown from a bud grafted to a seedling wherein the bud is from a clone having desired characteristics. A fruiting scion may be grafted to the root stock such that after controlled growth, the seedling, root stock, collar and fruiting scion if attached, may be transplanted as a body. The root stock grows to a size inside the collar causing the collar to gradually constrict flow of nutrients to the seedling and promotes rooting of the root stock itself while gradually destroying its vascular connection to the seedling. The seedling finally disintegrates and there is left a properly rooted plant having the desired characteristics determined by the bud from the clone.
Anadoliev, U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,801 describes a method of obtaining engrafted engrafting material from a giant filbert tree. Engrafting takes place on Turkish filbert shoots and afterwards the shoots engrafted are stratified in a neutral granular medium preferably composed of swelled perlite, the temperature being maintained at about 35-38 degrees C. in the room throughout the first 6-7 days and at about 25-28 degrees C. during the following 15-18 days. The relative air humidity is maintained at about 70-75%. Just before taking out the material, it is held for a few days at ambient temperature, that is, about 16-18 degrees C.
Paz et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,020 describes an improved rose plant propagation process which can be carried out on an expeditious basis. Stem segments from a scion rose plant and an understock rose plant are obtained during an active stage of growth. An end of a scion segment is placed into a cut formed in an understock segment, and an end portion of the understock segment is placed in a rooting medium. Roots simultaneously are formed on the understock segment while a graft union between the scion and understock rose plant stem segments is formed. The portion of the understock stem above the graft union next is removed. The process of the present invention offers a reliable rose plant propagation technique not heretofore available to the rose industry whereby quality new rose plants readily can be formed on an economical basis in a significantly shorter period of time than commonly required for prior rose plant propagation techniques.
Collas et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,971 describes starting from a herbaceous cutting, which may be derived from in vitro culture, of stock and of a herbaceous scion, the process consists of inserting the scion (12′) having a single bud, into the stock cutting (12), by bevelling the lower end 15 of the scion 12′ from two sides 17, 18, by slitting the upper end of the stock cutting in its middle, and by subsequently assembling the two parts 12, 12′ by joining 20, of transferring the base of the abovementioned grafted unit into a development medium 21, of moistening the development medium 21 with a nutrient solution and of subsequently placing this unit in a container with a water-saturated atmosphere and at a temperature above 20 degree. C., while suppressing the bud 22 of the stock and growing the saplings in the greenhouse or under a polyethylene tunnel until the desired stage of growth.
Patrucco, U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,115 describes A process for the multiplication of plant varieties which comprises the following operations: grafting of the variety to be reproduced on the tendril of a mother plant at various levels; production of cuttings of said grafted tendril, and rooting of said grafted cuttings of tendril. The process allows in particular the complete “rooting” of the graft (100%), the dematerialization of the product, the intensification of the density of cultivation. It also gives a high speed of multiplication and a prolonged biological and structural preservation. The invention also includes the product obtained through the process.
National Research Development Corp., EP 0132287 describes a rooted shoot of a rootstock (obtained from a stoolbed or from one or other sort of cutting) that is planted in a nursery at relatively shallow depth (often about 8 inches). A scion is next grafted on to the rootstock and part of the rootstock above ground is wrapped in black polythene to produce localised blanching. The plant is then left in the nursery for root ‘initials’, and possibly some roots, to form under the polythene. After usually one year, the plant is moved to its final location in the field planted to a depth such as to immerse in the soil the stem section blanched during its period in the nursery. A similar method of initiating the desired root growth by cutting or scoring the basal section is also described.
The prior art teaches methods of propagating trees and plants, hybridizing plants, growing trees from slips, propagation of root stock, grafting cuttings of stock and scions from in vitro, multiplication of plant varieties, and anchorage of plants, but does not teach the propagation of cuttings or scions by grafting to a stool cut from limb or trunk and made viable by grafting root stock to the stool. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.